Do Vanity Candidates Really Have a Chance? (Michael Medved)

Michael Medved's Townhall Blog ^ | February 8, 2007 | Michael Medved

[EveningStar]

Two days ago, in blogging about the abortion records of the serious GOP Presidential prospects (McCain, Giuliani, Romney), I provoked a great deal of anger by writing off the other current contenders (Huckabee, Brownback, Tancredo, Ron Paul, Gilmore, Thompson, Duncan Hunter) as "lesser" candidates who stand no realistic chance of winning primaries or grabbing the nomination. No matter how much you may admire these people, their candidacies are irrelevant – more a bid for attention, or a preparation for future races, than a realistic bid for power...

When, in the last 60 years of Presidential politics, did any obscure underdog manage to defy the odds and win the nomination of the Republican Party?...

[kjo]

Wendell Wilkie, 1940

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

People who support a left wing or moderate as the Republican Nominee are guaranteeing a democrat win!

We had a popular Conservative as POTUSA.
Next was a one term moderate.
Next was a two term traitor, who some people think was conservative.
Next was a two term moderate that squeaked by because the democrats nominees were very bad.
Now some people want a far left winger as the Republican nominee that most real democrats can beat because they can run to the right of any of them.

[SaxxonWoods]

Hoo boy. Duncan Hunter has a huge following of at least 47 potential voters in this country, and we are about to hear from most of them. Pass the popcorn.

[cripplecreek]

There was a time when the republican party was a 3rd party.

[lilylangtree]

Rudy, John, & Mitt remind me of '96 when Bob Dole ran (and lost) against Bubba & the Hildebeast. Pubs don't have a viable candidate and picking from the bottom of the barrel won't do.

[donna]

It's not vanity to want to influence the issues. It's good citizenship.

[GoldenPup]

It would seem pretty obvious that these "lesser candidates" are really running for Vice President, not POTUS. They know they don't have a shot at the top spot, but what the hell, why not try for number two with a possible shot at number one down the road, just like Nixon and Bush '41?

[CyberAnt]

Somebody needs to send Michael Medved this link.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1782675/posts

Anybody who think Duncan is not viable has not been paying attention. The media wants the public to believe McCain is their best pal, when he's really their worst enemy.

Duncan is not a fence straddler - he's a true conservative.

[cripplecreek]

Need some more koolaide to wash that popcorn down with Mr follower?

[AngrySpud]

Some of the "lesser" candidates might be in it for a shot at the VP slot.

[Antoninus]

I'm sad to say that Medved and Hugh Hewitt are politics over principles conservatives. I'm beginning to rue the time I spent listening to them over the years as they are revealing themselves to be snake-oil salesmen.

Gentlemen, with all due respect, stuff it.

[kjo]

When Duncan has put together a hundred million dollars on which to run, wake me up, I might be interested. WITHOUT MONEY AND MEDIA HE HAS NO CHANCE.

[Antoninus]

My prediction is that some conservative talkers are going to go down with the Rudy Titanic in 2007/8.

Hewitt, Medved, and Hannity are tops on that list. They are revealing themselves to be charlatans to an audience that thought they were true-believers.

[upsdriver]

You put Hunter or Newt in as vp with Rudy and I still won't vote for Rudy.

[Sherman Logan]

I'm sad to say that Medved and Hugh Hewitt are politics over principles conservatives

I'm really curious. How does losing an election by running someone you would consider a "true conservative" advance the cause of freedom?

[EveningStar]

That was more than 60 years ago. :)

He mentions that in his article.

[quidnunc]

cripplecreek wrote: There was a time when the republican party was a 3rd party.

No, the GOP never was a 3rd party.

From the moment of its foundation, it was larger than the Whig Party.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

why not try for number two with a possible shot at number one down the road, just like Nixon and Bush '41?

Nixon was already prominent, due to the Hiss investigation. Bush had run a strong second to Reagan in the primary. None of these guys are as well-known as Nixon is and none are likely to run strong.

The one potential candidate Medved left out entirely was Gingrich.

[PatrickF4]

Was that the "Republican party" that emerged from the demise of the Whig party, aligned with anti-slavery Democrats (1850s), or was it the "Republican party" that morphed into the Democratic party when the Federalists collapsed (1820s). The point being... I used to be two years old.